Well, this thread is posted under Opinions and Criticism, so I guess it's the right place to say that I don't really understand the purpose of these slippery questions with no answer, Stephen.
Except to give everyone a chance to talk a little about themselves while the Muse is outdoors watching the meteor shower, such queries don't really have much purpose for a writer/poet.
The art and craft of writing decent poetry and prose (I think so anyway) is not remotely connected to pat little Q & A on say: What is your preferred rhyme pattern for a sonnet? Where does the poem reside? How many Ms and and how many L's should an elegy ideally contain? Do you do your best writing early in the morning or late at night? How many square feet is your writing space? Which literary magazine is best? How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
Pseudointellectualism is what it was called when I was young, and it is rather fun at a party when everyone is half drunk and full of that oceanic feeling, but are there answers that will satisfy such questions when we're all (I hope) cold sober?
Michael's post reminded me though about a book that I want everyone to read so I'll tout it while I'm here. I may be the last one to have discovered it, but if anyone hasn't yet read Finding a Form: Essays (1997) by William H. Gass, it is high time.
It is an absolutely brilliant offering of essays--halfway through I ordered all his other essay collections as well. Who needs food?
This is not about how to choose a form for your poem. He is the most magnificent prose stylist I have ever encountered. Bar none. Of course, I am always behind, but I bought this FaF collection on one of my unsuccessful attempts to purchase a copy of In the Heart of the Heart of the Country of which I've only the title story in anthologies. I hope someone reissues that book soon.
PS. I have also looked at reviews of Finding a Form and I found several reviews by bright young things who couldn't bear to be in the same room with a writer who was so learned and spoke so beautifully. So it may not be for everyone. Only for those who aspire to write beautiful sentences with memorable content.
Will I be sorry I posted this? Probably.
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